Business machine

ABSTRACT

A cash register is provided with a flexible plastic digit tape to interconnect the cash register display with the selected depressed digit keys. The plastic digit tapes are very flexible and lightweight, and are operated to transmit force under tension to avoid binding and frictional forces. The digit tape is deflected down at the rear of the register to save space. The accumulator is moved down to engage the tape and to the rear to transfer to the display. Both the accumulator and the display assemblies have interleaved indicator wheels having different indications, with the wheel spacing and movement being unitarily related to the keyboard spacing. Light duty components and simple controls, compatible with the low inertia of the digit tapes are used throughout the cash register.

[451 May 15,1973

1541 BUSINESS MACHINE [75] Inventor: Kenneth F. Oldenburg, Arcadia,

Calif.

[73] Assignee: Litton Business Systems, Inc., New

York, NY.

22 Filed: June 26,1970

21 Appl.No.: 50,064

[52] U.S. Cl. ..235/23 RC, 235/60 R, 235/7 R [51] llnt. Cl. ..G07g 1/00[58] Field of Search ..235/23 R, 23 RC, 235/60 R, 6, 7 R, 2, 58 R [56]References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,016,187 1/1962 Schenk ..235/60R 1,883,853 10/1932 Bergmann ..235/60 R 1,945,589 2/1934 Bilde et al...235/2 2,066,669 1/1937 Bilde et al. ..235/9 2,355,637 8/1944 Faigle..235/60 R 3,313,480 4/1967 Golemon ..235/60 R 7/1967 Styner ..235/23 RC9/1970 Anderson ..235/59 Primary ExaminerRichard B. Wilkinson Assistgryt Exqrqiner-Stanley A. Wal

I, Attorriey-Aladcj Roseand Altred liflevine [5 7] ABSTRACT A cashregister is provided with a flexible plastic digit tape to interconnectthe cash register display with the selected depressed digit keys. Theplastic digit tapes are very flexible and lightweight, and are operatedto transmit force under tension to avoid binding and frictional forces.The digit tape is deflected down at the rear of the register to savespace. The accumulator is moved down to engage the tape and to the rearto transfer to the display. Both the accumulator and the displayassemblies have interleaved indicator wheels having differentindications, with the wheel spacing and movement being unitarily relatedto the keyboard spacing. Light duty components and simple controls,compatible with the low inertia of the digit tapes are used throughoutthe cash register.

21 Claims, 29 Drawing Figures PATENTE HAY 1 5191s SHEET 5 BF 7 Mam z ma504 d u M mi E Z m f BUSINESS MACHINE FIELD OF THE INVENTION Thisinvention relates to business machines, such as cash registers whichutilize a keyboard, and which have an indicator to display digitalinformation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION, INCLUDING BRIEF COMPARISON WITH PRIOR ARTInstead of the rigid racks which are in general use to control thedisplay in accordance with keyboard selection, the present businessmachine employs flexible plastic tapes. In the illustrative businessmachine, i.e. the cash register, described herein, these flexibleplastic tapes have a mass which is about 1/250 of the mass of the usualracks which are employed, thus permitting the use of less power andmechanisms which require much less power handling capability. The tapesare advantageously operated to transmit power under tension, thusavoiding binding and increased friction. In addition, the flexible tapesmay be diverted at the end of their travel to permit direct coupling ofthe tapes to the indicator wheels rather than the usual complex gearingarrangements without extending the length of the cash register. The lowpower requirements of the machine provide advantages in the associatedactuating equipment such as the keyboard and the timing and powerarrangements. The digital indicating arrangements include coaxialinterleaved indicator wheels which may be selectively read. This directcoupling has advantages in reducing machine tolerances as well assimplifying the structure.

In cash registers which are in general use today, most of the parts aremade of metal, and the entire machines are built with high powerrequirements and heavy mechanical loading throughout. In accordance withthe principles which are employed in accordance with the presentinvention, however, plastic parts are widely employed and their specialproperties of lightness and flexibility are utilized to greatly reducethe complexity and power requirements of cash registers.

In accordance with a particular feature of the invention, flexiblelightweight perforated digit selection tapes are employed in place ofthe toothed metal racks to control the cash register indicator displayresulting from keyboard entries.

Each digit selection tape and its associated movable structure isapproximately 1/250 of the weight and inertia of the correspondingStructure found in commercially available cash registers. In addition,the flexible tapes are bent down at the rear of the machine so that thelongitudinal displacement of the tapes may be equal to the keyseparation on the keyboard, and the surface movement of the indicatorwheels corresponds to the tape movement and to the digit spacing on thekeyboard. This equal increment configuration significantly reduces therequired number of parts, and greatly simplifies the mechanics of thecash register, without the increase in size or depth of the cashregister which would be required to accommodate the travel of 'rigidracks, in an equal increment" configuration.

Other features of the invention relating to the flexible tapes include:the key stops which are secured to the ends of the tapes and whichutilize the resilience of the tape to provide spring action to by-passthe keys on the return cycle; the constraint of the tapes to providechanneled mechanical action without significant moving mass; and thetransmission of power through the tapes under tension rather than undercompression. In addition, the continuous engagement of the tapes withthe indicator wheels is an important feature of the inventioncontributing to simplicity. The actuation of the accumulator on theforward stroke of the tapes, while in continuous engagement with theindicator wheels is another important related feature which avoids thenecessity for a supplemental totalling cycle, such as that found inexpired US. Pat. No. 2,066,669, granted Jan. 5, 1937, which showscontinuously engaged racks and display indicators.

In addition to the flexible digit tapes, the present invention involvesthe other three principal components of the cash register which coactwith the flexible digit tapes. These include the keyboard, theaccumulator, and the indicator or display assembly. The accumulator andthe display assemblies both utilize indicator wheels having outersurfaces which rotate a distance equal to the travel of the associateddigit tapes. The accumulator assembly and the display assembly bothinclude two sets of interleaved indicator wheels which are mounted onthe same shaft and have two sets of digital information mounted oninterleaved indicator wheels. In the case of the accumulator, theinformation is the item total (alternatively designated the subtotalthroughout this specification) and the grand total, while in the case ofthe clerk and customer indicator or display wheels, one set ofinterleaved wheels carries the display for the sales clerk and the otherfor the customer. In both cases, arrangements are provided for spacedwindows to selectively view either of the two sets of digitalinformation while blocking the other set of information.

In connection with the keyboard assembly, the individual keys are of alightweight plastic design matching the low inertia of the digit tapesand have an integral spring retaining clip built into their structure.The keyboard assembly includes only a single spring for biasing each ofthe keys in a key row to its normal position, and this same springserves to bias the interlock slides to their proper positions. As in thecase of the other major subcomponents of the cash register, the entirekeyboard assembly is mounted on shafts, for simplicity in assembly tothe side frame members of the cash register.

As noted above, simple spacing arrangements are characteristic of themachine, and this may also be observed in the identical spacing betweenadjacent key rows and adjacent display indications. The direct couplingand simple internal structure of the cash register produce and reinforcethese simplifications, and the resulting economies.

The accumulator assembly moves down from its neutral position intoengagement with the digit tapes and moves to the rear for transferringinformation to the indicator display. A particularly simple controlsystem involving very few parts is employed for these mechanicaloperations. One interesting minor feature involves the single ADD orTOTAL control member which has a resilient output arm, permitting adesign in which the end of the arm may be locked in place, and furtheractuation of the ADD or TOTAL control merely bends the resilient arm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects, features and advantagesof the invention will become apparent from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description and from the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an assembly view showing the complete cash register togetherwith the cash drawer on which it stands;

FIG. 1A is a fragmentary top view showing the operator and customerviewing windows;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the operating portions of the cashregister of FIG. 1 without the cash drawer and with the cover removed;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the keyboard assemy;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a single key row; FIG. 5 is an end view of thekey row shown in FIG.

FIG. 5A shows a single key of the keyboard;

FIG. 6 is a view of the two slides which prevent actuation of any otherkeys and provide other functions when one cash register key in a givenkey row is depressed;

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the mode of operation of the flexibledigit tapes;

FIG. 8 shows the by-pass stops secured to the ends of each digit tape;

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the digit tapes and their stops;

FIG. 10 shows the tape constraining frame or assembly cut away to showseveral of the tapes;

FIG. 11 shows the accumulator assembly and the engagement with the digittapes;

FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view of the display assembly;

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the relationships ofthe principal components of the cash register;

FIG. 14 is a side view of the register which shows the accumulatormovement control arrangements to advantage;

FIGS. 15, 16, 16A, and 16B are various views of the accumulator controltiming gear and the associated accumulator camming control gears;

FIG. 17 shows the drive line including the gears which engage theperforations in the flexible digit tapes;

FIG. 18 shows a positively driven disc and drive gear pair, which arecoupled together by a spring biased pawl;

FIG. 19 shows the drive sector gear and the driven gear at one end ofthe drive line;

FIG. 20 shows an accumulator gear together with the stop mechanism whichcome into play as information is being transferred from the accumulatorto the dis- P y;

FIG. 21 shows the accumulator mask moving mechamsm;

FIG. 22 is a timing chart showing the timing of the operation of certainparts of the cash register during an operating cycle;

FIG; 23 is a side view of an alternative cash register construction; and

FIGS. 24 and 25 are side and front views of the details of theaccumulator moving and control mechanisms.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring more particularly to the drawings, FIG. 1shows the cash register assembly standing'on the cash drawer assembly42. The viewing window 43 for the clerk and 45 for the customer areshown in FIG. 1A. As seen in both FIGS. 1 and 2, the cash registerincludes a keyboard assembly 100, a base and power unit 200, anindicator or display assembly 300 and an accumulator assembly 400. Alsovisible in FIG. 2 are the ADD or TOTAL control member 450 whichdetermines the mode of operation of the accumulator 400, as implementedby the accumulator timing gear 460 and its associated mechanicalmechanisms.

With reference to FIG. 3, the keyboard includes a plurality of key rows101 through 106. The individual key row moldings are provided withrecesses at opposite ends for ease in mounting the key rows side by sideon the shafts 112 and 114. As mentioned above, most of the majorsubcomponents of the present cash register are mounted on shafts forready assembly with the side plates of the base unit 200.

As shown to better advantage in FIGS. 4, 5, 5A and 6, each key row 101through 106 may be provided with a set of nine keys 121 through 129,with key 122 being depressed in the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 4.Each key row is also provided with two interlock slides 132 and 134,shown in FIG. 6. The key row assembly is provided with a single spiralbiasing spring 136. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the biasing spring 136extends through the interlock slides 132 and 134 to bias them to theirnormal positions. In addition, the biasing for each of the plastic keys121 through 129 is provided by the same single spring 136. As shown inFIG. 4, for example, the spring 136 is extended at 138 to provide upwardpressure on the key 122 through the integral recess molded into the rearof the key 122. FIG. 5A shows a key 122 separately, to indicate thestructure of the integral key. The head of the key, the spring 141 whichholds the keys in frame 101, the slide engaging stud 140, and the springengaging recess 143 are all molded into the key as it is formed.

The lower end 142 of the key 122 protrudes below the key row assembly101 and below the interlock slides 132 and 134 to block the movement ofthe stop which is securedonto one end of the flexible tapes in a mannerto be discussed in greater detail below. The lightweight molded plastickeys 122 would normally not have sufficient strength to stop a heavymetal rack as employed in conventional cash registers. However, theflexible tapes which are used instead of racks in the present cashregister have such a light weight and such low inertia that there is noproblem with the end 142 of the lightweight plastic keys stopping theflexible plastic tapes.

Concerning the operation of the metal slides 132 and 134, the spring 136extends through slot 139 in slide 132 at the left-hand end of slide 132where there is no interference with slide 134. Similarly, the other endof spring 136 extends through slot 147 in slide 134 at its right-handend to avoid interference with slide 132 in the biasing or positioningfunction.

The sole function of slide 134 is to control the accumulator zero stop143. When none of the nine keys 121 through 129 of a key row isdepressed, the accumulator zero stop 143 is in one position; however,when any key, such as key 122, is depressed, the slide 134 is shifted tothe left and accumulator zero stop 143 is rotated to permit operation ofthe associated accumulator register.

The slide 132 provides interlocking functions. It is normally biased sothat the angle surfaces 144 underlie the key studs 140. When a key isdepressed, the stud 140 initially moves the locking slide 132 to theright and then enters the recess 146 which is below the slanted surface144.

Once the ADD or TOTAL key 450 is hit, the keyboard control shaft 150 isactuated to the left to engage the arm 152 which depends from the slide132. This moves the slide 132 to the left so that the flat surfaces 154on slide 132 underlie the studs 140 of the keys, and thus effectivelylock them out and prevent further action of the keyboard. Toward the endof each cycle, the shaft 150 is moved to the right to release all of thekeys.

It is again noted that the entire key row assembly only includesfourteen elements and particularly that only two slides are employed.This is in sharp contrast with 53 parts included in the key row assemblyof at least one widely used commercial cash register. Further, thesingle spiral spring 136 not only provides the biasing for all of thekeys of each key row but also biases the two slides 132 and 134 to theirproper positions.

FIG. 7 shows schematically the mode of operation of the plastic tapes 60which form a key component in the present invention. In the course ofthe cycle of operation of the present cash register, the digit tapes arealways coupled to the display wheels of the indicator assembly 300. Whencash register operation is initiated by pressing the ADD control, thedigit tapes are restored to their zero state in which the tapes areshifted to the front, or the left of the machine as shown in FIG. 7. Theflexible tapes are then driven forward by the drive line gears 202 untilthe stop 62 which is secured to the end of the tape 60 engages the lowerend of a depressed key 126, as shown in FIG. 7. As the flexible digittape moves forward, the gears of the accumulator 400 are rotated, withthe gears of the item total accumulator engaging one of the sets ofperforations 64, while the gear teeth on the grand total accumulatorengage the other set of perforations 66 in the flexible plastic tape 60.When the stop 62 engages the lower end of the key 126, the drive line202 releases the force applied to the tape 60, as discussed in greaterdetail below, the indicator 300 displays the digit corresponding thedepressed key 126, and the accumulator 400 adds the digit in both theitem total and the grand total registers.

As the flexible tape is driven past the gears of the drive line 202, itis deflected downwardly by the tape constraining enclosure 204 and alsoengages the rear casing 206 of the cash register. By this technique, theuse of additional rearwardly extending space for the cash register toaccommodate the tapes is avoided, and the complexity of the step-up andstep-down gearing, which is required in present cash registers, is alsoeliminated. The dual goals of compactness and simplicity are thusachieved primarily by the use of very flexible tapes which are bentaround within the small confines of the present compact cash register.

The movable tape is provided with a plastic retaining element 68 for thestop 62. The retainer 68 extends through an opening in the tape 60 andserves as a carrier for the stop 62. When the tapes are driven to thezero position so that the stop 62 moves to its extreme left or frontposition, the stop 62 must pass under a depressed key such as key 126 inFIG. 7. Under these conditions, it pivots downwardly, as indicated at 70in FIG. 8. Under these conditions, the tongue 72 of the tape 60resiliently flexes down also, as indicated in FIG. 8.

In FIG. 9, the thickness of the tape is exaggerated to some extent. Thetapes are actually about 0.020 inch thick. The tapes are 13 V2 incheslong and five-eighths inch wide.

FIG. 10 shows the frame 204 which constrains the tapes 60 to follow arectilinear path in the regions where the stops 62 underlie the keyboard100. As shown in FIG. 10, the frame 204 is provided with slots 206through which the stops 62 extend to engage the lower ends of depressedkeys. In addition, the drive gears engage the tapes through the longslots 208 which are aligned with one of the sets of perforations in eachtape 60. The slots 210 accommodate accumulator transfer bails, whichcome into play when transfers are made from one register to the nexthigher order. The accumulator register gears engage the tapes 60 throughthe slots 214, with the item total gears engaging the right-hand rowperforations, and the grand total gears, the left. The gears for drivingthe set of indicator wheels which are read by the clerk or the operatorof the cash register extend through the front of slots 208. The slots212 accommodate an accumulator detent. The shorter set of slots 216which are interleaved with the slots 208 are located between adjacenttapes and accommodate the gears which drive the customer indicatorwheels as described below.

In general, the frame 204 provides the support and channeling necessaryto constrain the plastic tapes 60 to the paths required for their properoperation. With the indicated physical configuration, the tapes 60 haveoperated several million times without physical signs of wear andwithout tape failure.

The accumulator assembly 400 is shown in FIG. 11. The grand totalregister includes the indicator wheels 401, 403, 405, etc., while thesubtotal is displayed on the indicator wheels 402, 404, 406, etc. Thegears secured to the indicator wheels 401, 403, 405, etc., associatedwith the grand total engage the right-hand set of perforations on thedigit tapes 60 as shown in FIG. 11, while the gears associated with thesubtotal wheels 402, 404, 406 engage the left-hand set of perforationsof the tapes 60.

The view of FIG. 11 is taken from the rear of the machine looking downat the tapes 60 between the accumulator and the indicator wheels. Abovethe accumulator indicator wheels is a mask 412 containing a series ofwindows 414. The mask 414 is normally positioned so that the operator ofthe cash register may view the subtotal registered on a particularcustomers sale through the windows 414. When the key locking the cashregister is employed, however, the mask 412 is shifted laterally topermit the viewing of the grand total register wheels through windows414 to the exclusion of the subtotal.

FIG. 12 is a front view of the indicator or display assembly 300. Theindicator assembly includes two sets of interleaved indicator wheels,the first'set 308 being visible from the front of the machine by theoperator, while the second set 310 is observable by the customer fromthe rear of the machine. In addition, of course, the position of thewheels having more or less significant numbers must be reversed, withthe least significant digit appearing to the right in the set of thewheels 308 observed by the clerk while the least significant digitobserved by the customer must be on the left-hand indicator wheel 310,as seen in FIG. 12.

As described below in connection with FIG. 13, the gears 306 in theforeground are directly coupled to one of the two rows of perforationsin the tape 60. Gears 306 engage gears 312 associated with the clerkindicator wheels 308. The drive for the customer indicator wheels 310 issomewhat more complex as it involves the gears 304 (to the rear in FIG.12) which mesh with the gear teeth 314 associated with the customerindicator wheels 310. The shaft 316 upon which the indicator wheels 308and 310 are mounted is supported in the keyhole slot 318 as shown, forexample, in FIGS. 2 and 14.

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross sectional view showing the relativepositions of most of the main rotatable components or assemblies.Following the application of power to the cash register when the ADD orTOTAL control is pressed, the motor 222 is coupled through a rubber belt224 to the power speed reducer assembly 226. An auxiliary hand-crankdrive coupling is also connected to the power speed reducer 226 throughgear 228. The cam line 230 is driven from gear 232 on the speed reducerassembly 226 through gear 236 on the cam line. The clutch gear 236 ismounted on the cam line assembly 230. The metal drive sector gear 238 ispivoted at 240 and is bent into a U-shaped form with a cam pin 242securely fastened to the inner leg 244 of the drive sector gearassembly. The pin 242 rides in a groove in a cam in the cam lineassembly 230. The power for the drive gears 246 is provided through theteeth 248 of the metal drive sector gear 238. These teeth 248 mesh withthe gear 250 which is fixed or pinned to the drive line shaft 252.

As in the case of a number of the assemblies of the present machine, thedrive line shaft 252 is cut away in two areas from end to end. The gear250 is provided with matching protrusions at its center. Accordingly, itis rigidly secured against rotational movement relative to the shaft252, and is pinned to this shaft. Where it is desired to mount otherfreely rotatable gears or other mechanisms on the same shaft, they maybe formed with a circular opening in the center. Without the keyingstructure to lock or pin them to the drive shaft 252, they are free torotate. Accordingly, a single shaft with longitudinal slots may serve adual purpose, acting both as a drive shaft and also as an axle for freerotation of other coaxially mounted elements.

From the drive gears 246, power is transmitted directly to theperforated tapes 60. As the sector gear follows the programmed cammingmotion of the cam line assembly 230, the tapes 60 are initially restoredto their zero" position and are then driven forward by the drive gears246 until they engage stops such as the lower end of depressed key 126(See FIG. 7). A clutching mechanism, to be described in greater detailbelow, then releases the drive to the individual tapes and permits thetape to remain in its position corresponding to the depressed digit key.

The accumulator assembly 400 has its principal axis located at point425. As indicated by the arrows, the accumulator may be moved down andup for engagement or disengagement, respectively, with the tapes 60, ormay be moved to the rear toward the indicator assembly 300 to transfertotals stored in the accumulator to the indicator assembly. The circles422, 424 and 426 in FIG. 13 represent the mechanisms involving gears,

camming surfaces and a Geneva-type movement which control the movementof the accumulator registers. These mechanisms will be described ingreater detail below.

Included in the indicator assembly 300 are one set of indicator wheelswhich are visible by the customer and another set of indicator wheelswhich may be viewed by the clerk. The customer indicator wheels aredriven by the transfer gears 302 through a set of gears which aremounted for free rotation on the drive shaft 252 and which mesh with thecustomer indicator drive gears 304. The clerk indicator display wheels,however, are

driven by the gears 306 directly from the tapes 60.

When information is being transferred from the accumulator registers tothe indicator assembly, the shaft 425 moves to the right and theindicator assembly is energized through the gears 308. Although thegears 306 are close to gears 308, there is clearance and no directinteraction between gears 306 and 308.

Many of the critical details of the structure shown schematically inFIG. 13 will be discussed in greater detail below in connection withother FIGURES in the drawing.

FIGS. 14 through 16 are particularly useful in describing the mode ofoperation of the accumulator 400. The accumulator can move eitherperpendicular to the keyboard or parallel to it. As indicated by thearrows and legends on the face of the accumulator side frame member 470in FIG. 14, the accumulator assembly moves up and down for engagementand disengagement with the digit tapes on ADD cycles and moves to therear and forward in the course of TOTAL cycles in transferring thecontents of its subtotal register to the display unit 300. An ADD or aTOTAL cycle is initiated by pressing the key 450 in the forward or therear direction, respectively. The key 450 is pivoted at point 452 andhas a flexible arm 454 which is pivotally connected to the controllinkage 456 at point 458.

The central shaft 462, to which the timer gear 460 is secured, is fixedin position. When the ADD or TOTAL control lever 450 is pressed, thelinkage 456, which includes the frame 464 enclosing the timer gear 460,is moved to the front or the rear as indicated by the arrows adjacentthe numeral 464 in FIG. 14. On ADD cycles the frame 464 moves to therear and on TOTAL cycles the frame 464 moves toward the front of themachine. Between cycles the frame 464 is maintained in a position suchthat the shaft 462 is centrally located with respect to the slot 466. Inthe arrangement shown in FIG. 14, the relationship of the partsindicates that an ADD cycle is underway.

The movement of the accumulator is controlled by three eccentrics 472,473 and 474'. In FIG. 14, the numerals 473 and 474 are directed to gearswhich conceal the eccentrics 473 and 474, which are located directlybehind them. As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the eccentrics are mounted torotate in slots 476, 477 and 478. Three eccentrics (including 474", FIG.25) mounted on corresponding shafts are located at the other side of theregister. The eccentrics 472 and 474, which rotate in slots 476 and 478,control the vertical movement of the accumulator on ADD cycles, whilethe eccentric 473 in slot 477 controls the horizontal movement of theaccumulator on TOTAL cycles. During ADD cycles eccentric 473' is heldagainst rotation while the gear 474 and coupled eccentrics 474' and 472are rotated to raise and lower the accumulator.

Similarly, on TOTAL cycles the gear 473 and eccentric 473' are rotatedwhile the gear 474 and eccentrics 474' and 472 are held against rotationto provide guided horizontal movement. Eccentrics 474 and 472 are gearedto rotate together by gear 422 formed as part of a single molding witheccentric 474" (see FIG. 25) and gears 424 and 426 (see FIG. 13). Gears422 and 426 are pinned to their shafts, but idler gear 424 is free torotate on the shaft to which eccentrics 473 and 473" are secured.

The implementation of the described motion of the gears 474 may bebetter understood by reference to FIGS. 16, 16A and 168. In FIG. 16A,the timer gear 460 is shown in solid lines in the ADD position. Underthese circumstances the gear 473 has two flat portions on its hub 480which engage the periphery of the ridge 482 on the timer gear topreclude rotation of the shaft 481 and its associated eccentric. Gear474, however, which controls the movement of an associated eccentric onshaft 484, and the mechanically coupled eccentric 472, areintermittently rotated. FIG. 16B shows the arrangements for selectivelyand intermittently locking and rotating the gears 473 or 474. In FIG.163, the gear 474 is shown with the flat portion 486 of its hub 488engaging a flat portion of the ridge 482. As the timer gear is rotated,the gear teeth 474 engage the teeth 490 on the timer gear. The ridge 482is cut away as indicated by the dashed lines 492 to permit rotation ofthe shaft 484 under the control of the meshing gears 474 and 490. Thisarrangement is shown as viewed from above in FIG. 16A.

As shown in FIG. 16, the timer gear 460 has two sets of gear teeth 490and 494 which engage the gear teeth 474 to first rotate the accumulatordown for engagement with the tapes and subsequently shift theaccumulator' up to the disengaged rest position which it maintainsbetween cycles. During this complete ADD cycle, the central shaft 481,and the eccentric which is associated with it and with gear 473 is heldagainst rotation by the flat portion on hub 480 being in continuousengagement with the periphery of ridge 482.

On TOTAL cycles, however, the function of gears 473 and 474 areinterchanged. This is accomplished by shifting the timing gear wheel 460to the position, as shown in dashed lines, in FIG. l6A. The flatportions on the hub 488 of gear 474 are continuously in engagement withthe periphery of ridge 482 when the timer gear is in this shiftedposition. However, the gear teeth 473 are now aligned with teeth 496 oftimer wheel 460 and gear 473 is permitted to rotate as a result of thedisplacement and the presence of the recess 498 in the ridge 482adjacent the gear teeth 496.

The timer gear 460 is keyed to the shaft 462 but is permitted to slideback and forth as indicated by the solid and the dashed line showings ofFIG. 16A. In the neutral position, between cycles, the pins 502 and 504are located in contact with inclined faces on the timer gear wheelsurfaces shown at 506 in FIG. 16 of the drawings. When the ADD or TOTALcontrol 450 is pressed, the slide 464 moves from its neutral position sothat one of the pins such as 504 which is visible in FIG. 14 ispermitted to ride in a track such as track 506 as shown in FIG. 16. Theother pin will then be located close to the hub of the timer gear 460and will rotate on a raised surface in this location and will maintainpressure on the timer gear wheel 460 forcing it in the desired in or outposition for TOTAL or ADD cycle operations, respectively.

Incidentally, for completeness, it should be noted that the showing ofFIG. 15 is from above with the timer gear in the in position for a TOTALcycle. This is in contrast to the showing of FIG. 16A in which the solidline position is the ADD position.

FIG. 17 is a rear view of the drive line including the various gearswhich are mounted on the central shaft 252 of the drive line assembly.As may be seen from FIG. 13, the drive shaft is located below the tapesso that the drive gears 246 may readily engage the tape toward the rearof the cash register as its path is deflected downward. As discussedabove in connection with FIG. 13, it is only alternate gear assemblies246 which have inner hubs which are pinned to the shaft 252 and whichrotate with it. The alternate gears 247 are mounted on the same shaft asthe drive gear assemblies 246 but are not pinned to it, so are free torotate about shaft 252. i

As mentioned above, the customer indicator display wheels must berotated in synchronism with the clerk indicator display wheels, but thedigits are reversed in their position. To accommodate this purpose,transfer gears 302 are provided. Three transfer gears 302 are shownmounted on and pinned to shaft 303. The gear 302 is rotated with thedrive gear 246 and constrains the two other gears 302 and 302'. torotate in synchronism with it. This causes the right-hand customerindicator drive gear 247 to rotate in step with the left-hand drive gear246 as shown in FIG. 17. Similarly, the printer gear wheel 602 is drivenby transfer gear 302" to establish proper information relating to theleast significant digit of the information registered by the lefthanddrive gear 246.

As shown in FIG. 18, the drive gears 246 are driven from the drive shaft252 through a drive hub 262 which is provided with a disc portion 264and a central cylindrical portion 266 which is keyed to the drive shaft252. The cylindrical central hub 268 of the drive gear assembly 246rotates on the cylinder 266. The pawl 270 is pivoted at 272 and isbiased to the indicated position by spring 274. This normally holds thebearing member 276 of the pawl assembly 270 in the pocket 278 of thedrive gear assembly.

Under normal conditions as an ADD cycle ofthe cash register isinitiated, the drive shaft 252 drives the drive hub262 in the directionindicated by the arrow 280, in restoring the tapes to the 0 position.During this operation, of course, the teeth of drive gears 246 are inengagement with'one of the sets of perforations in the digit tape 60.The direction is reversed as the tapes move toward engagement withdepressed keys. When the stop on the tape 60 engages a depressed key,the tape immediately stops. This stops the drive gear 246 and the biasof spring 274 is overcome, permitting the pawl 270 to come out of thepocket 278 and freely rotate in the recess 282 of the drive gearassembly 246. In this way, each drive gear 246 stops at an angularposition determined by the depressed keys on the keyboard.

With reference to FIG. 19, the metal drive sector gear 238 is shownpivotally mounted about the shaft 240 for movement under the control ofthe cam 292 having a cam slot 294 with which the pin 242 coacts. Theplastic main drive gear 250 is mounted on the drive shaft 252 forrotation in accordance with the movement of the drive sector gear 238,causing, for example, initial restoration of the tapes to the zeroposition and subsequent rearward movement of the tapes on the powerportion of the cycle.

FIG. 20 shows one of the accumulator gears 402 associated with theaccumulator indicator wheel as described above in connection with FIG.11. Within the indicator and gear wheel assembly 402 is a central hub422 pinned to the central accumulator shaft 424. On normal ADD cycles,the gear 402 rotates in the counterclockwise direction as indicated byarrow 426. With this direction of rotation, the pawl 428 is pivotedagainst the pressure of spring 430 when it is engaged by the accumulatorzero stop 432. The pawl 428 then swings away from its restrained stop434 toward the center hub 422 of the assembly, permitting continuedrotation of the accumulator wheel assembly 402.

On TOTAL cycles, however, when the contents of the accumulator registerare being transferred to the display or indicator assembly 300, theaccumulator gear assembly 402 rotates in the clockwise direction asindicated by arrow 436. The pawl 428 is mounted on pivot point 438 whichis fixed to the stationary center assembly mounted on and pinned toshaft 424. This is in contrast to the gear and indicator assemblies 402which are mounted for free rotation on the same shaft 424. Accordingly,when the accumulator register is shifted to the rear and driven throughgear 308 from power supplied through the indicator assembly gearing, thegears 402 rotate in the clockwise direction until the zero stop 432engages the pawl 428. When this occurs, the release of the drive gearsfrom the drive line, as discussed in detail above in connection withFIG. 18, occurs. Accordingly, the indicator wheels will stop in aposition corresponding to that which has been registered in theaccumulator TOTAL registers. I

FIG. 21 shows the mechanism for shifting the mask 412 as shown in FIG.11. In FIG. 21, the lock 522 controls the movement of the mask 412. Theblock 524 is fixed in position as'is the support 526 for the spring 528.Incidentally, the spring 528 is secured in an open ing 530 in the mask412 to bias the mask to its position in which the subtotal rather thanthe grand total is revealed. When a key is inserted'into the key slot532, the

cylindrical member 522 together with the cam 534 and the fork member 536secured to the mask 412 may be moved to the right rear as shown in FIG.21. This shifting of the mask 412 serves to reveal the grandttotal setof indicator wheels instead of the subtotal, as described in some detailin connection with FIG. IL'When pressure is released from the key, theslide is returned to the front left position as shown in FIG. 21 by theforce of the leaf spring 528. Removal of the key locks the mask inplace.

FIG. 22 is a timing diagram showing the relative time of operation ofthe accumulator movement, the timer gear shifting, and the drive rackmotion. In reviewing the cycle from 0 to the 360 termination of thecycle, with the degrees referring to the angular orientation of thetimer gear 460 and the cam 292 of FIG. 19, it may be noted that thedrive racks are initially restored, are held in the 0 position fromabout 100 to about 140, and digit selection takes place from about 140to 280. The cam slot 294 (See FIG. 19) of course follows thedisplacements indicated in the Drive Tape plot of FIG. 22.

When it occurs, the timer gear shifting takes place at an early point inthe cycle. However, the timer gear does not shift on successive ADDcycles, for example. When an ADD cycle is followed by a TOTAL cycle, orvice-versa, the timer gear is shifted from one position to the other asindicated by the solid line or the dash line plots.

The accumulator movement occurs between 110 and 140. This is the timewhen the accumulator is either moved down into engagement with the racks(now in their 0 position) or to the rear into driving engagement withthe display assembly. Following completion of the drive rack selection(which occurs at about 280) the accumulator is restored to its regularposition. This occurs from about 310 to 340.

An alternate embodiment of the invention is disclosed in FIG. 23. Thecash register as shown in FIG. 23 is generally patterned after the cashregister described hereinabove, but has two of the main assembliesshifted in a manner which provides certain economies in parts.

Referring to FIG. 23 in greater detail, it shows the main framestructure 702 of the cash register, the keyboard 704, the accumulatorregister 706, the drive assembly 708 and the indicator assembly 710. Asin the case of the cash register described in connection with FIGS. 1through 22 of the drawings, the present cash register includes a seriesof flexible digit tapes 712. By shifting the drive line 708 from aposition below the digit tapes 712 to a position above the digit tapes,the indicator assembly 710 is raised for better visibility, and certaintransfer gearing is eliminated. The transfer gears 714 serve the samefunctions as described above in connection with the transfer gears 302,but some of the gear assemblies such as gears 304, 306 and 308 may beeliminated. As in the case of the other embodiment of the case register,the accumulator 706 is shifted both up and down for ADD cycles and tothe rear and forward for TOTAL cycles. Apart from the shifting of theposition of the drive line and the concomitant changes in structure suchas those mentioned above, the embodiment of FIG. 23 operates insubstantially'the same manner as that of the other embodiment of theinvention. r

Concerning the materials which may be employed in the implementation ofthe illustrated cash register,

wide use is made of plastics. One of the preferred plascoefficient offriction, good flexibility and high strength. DELRIN is described, forexample, in the March, l970,-issue of Materials Engineering. The digittapes may be made of DELRIN of a thickness of about 0.020 inch as notedabove. CELCON is a copolymer of formaldehyde and could also be used formany other parts of the cash register. Fiberglass-filled nylon is alsoemployed for various parts, for example, for the drive hubs. It is, ofcourse, undesirable to have two parts of the same material havingsurfaces which slide on one another, as this tends toward increasedfriction and possible binding. Another material which may be used in thecash register, for example in the key row, is NO- RYL, which is afiberglass-filled polyphenol oxide. Of course, a number of parts of theregister are made of steel, where high strength is required. Theseprincipally include the frame of the machine, the shafts, and certainkey high-strength parts such as the drive sector gear.

The foregoing description has been focused primarily on the structuralfeatures and interrelationships which are different from those found inconventional cash registers. Details of well-known structures andrelationships, and arrangements known to those skilled in the art havebeen eliminated for purposes of brevity and clarity.

As mentioned at several points above, the yieldable plastic tapes whichprovide keyboard-to-accumulator and keyboard-to-display coupling, butwhich may be deflected to save space, are an important part of theinvention. Instead of flexible plastic tapes, however, other yieldableforce transmitting members could be used to provide those dualfunctions. Thus, toothed racks made in sections, but spring biased tofull extension, could be used in place of the plastic tapes. Hinged racksections or a toothed rubber belt could also be used in place of thedisclosed digit tapes. These would provide many of the advantages of theperforated plastic tapes, although some minor disadvantages andcomplexities of structure would be introduced. As employed in thepresent specifications and claims the term yieldable refers only tointentionally bendable or collapsible members which are actuallyyieldable in operation, and not to rigid metal racks or the like whichmight give or flex to some very slight degree in operation but where nosignificant yielding or bending occurs.

With regard to various features of the present invention, it isappropriate to note certain United States and foreign patents which bearcertain relationships with the invented features. Concerning theperforated plastic racks which are operated under tension, U.S. Pat. No.2,355,637 of R. Faigle granted Aug. 15, 1944; U.S. Pat. No. 1,883,853,granted Oct. 18, 1932 to J. Bergmann; and British Pat. No. 280,135 toRudolf Martin, accepted Nov. 10, 1927, are of particular interest inshowing racks which are flexible. However, these prior patentsapparently fail to appreciate the desirability of making the racks aslightweight as possible and also the importance of operating flexiblecomponents under tension rather than under compression. Thus, instead ofusing perforations the three patents show apparatus which use raisedgear teeth on their flexible racks. The racks in these three priorpatents are pushed instead of being pulled and they must necessarily bestiffer and heavier and have much greater friction than thetension-operated perforated plastic tapes of the present invention.Further, these references do not appear to contemplate the possibilityof promptly deflecting the yieldable tape or rack member at the rear ofthe machine to reduce the depth of the cash register.

Other references which are of interest concerning other features of theinvention include G.D. Cushman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,40l,878 grantedSept. 17, 1968, and OM. Philipp, U.S. Pat. No. 2,701,100 granted Feb. 1,1955. While the Cushman patent is of passing interest in showing thecoil spring which biases a number of key-type members, in the presentcash register, a single spring is employed not only to bias all of thekeys of a key row, but is also used to bias the slides which interactwith the keys. Concerning U.S. Pat. No. 2,701,100 this referencediscloses interspersed totalizers, but this is the only feature whichappears to be related to any aspect of the present cash register.

In the course of the present description of the invention, thecompactness of the cash register has been mentioned at several points.As a matter of completeness, it may be noted that the overall dimensionsof the base or cash drawer upon which the rest of the cash registersits, are approximately 15 l inches wide, by 17 inches deep, by 4 incheshigh. The cash register apparatus excluding the cash drawer assembly isapproximately 14 inches wide, by 16 inches deep, by l 1 inches high.

In closing, it is noted that other known arrangements may be substitutedfor specific components disclosed in the present description, just asyieldable or hinged racks could be used instead of the digit tapes, asnoted above. Other constructional variations could include using theflexible digit tapes of the present invention with other types ofbusiness machines, such as ten-key calculating machines, instead of thefull keyboard cash register discussed above. The stops of the flexibledigit tapes would then engage the stops provided by the pin box formingpart of the keyboard assembly of the tenkey calculator.

What is claimed is:

1. A business machine comprising:

a keyboard;

a display for indicating digits entered on the keyboard; means includinga flexible tape for transferring digit information from said keyboard tosaid display;

power application means including gears meshing with said flexible tapefor moving said tapes to transfer information from said keyboard to saiddisplay; and

means for bending said flexible tapes immediately behind said gears toavoid extension of said cash register to the rear significantly beyondsaid gears.

2. A business machine comprising:

a keyboard having a plurality of key rows each including a plurality ofdigit keys;

a display for indicating numbers entered on the keyboard;

means including individual perforated flexible members associatedrespectively with said key rows for transferring digit information fromsaid keyboard to said display; and

power application means including gear teeth meshing with perforationsin said flexible members for operating said members under tension.

3. A business machine as defined in claim 2 wherein the base of saidmachine includes two side plates for supporting major subcomponents ofsaid machine, wherein a frame of sheet material extending between saidplates is provided to constrain and guide said flexible members, andwherein said frame is provided with slots to accommodate stops securedto said flexible members and extending through said frame to engageselected depressed digit keys.

4. A business machine comprising:

a keyboard;

a display for indicating digit information entered on the keyboard;yieldable mechanical means for transferring digit information from saidkeyboard to said display; and

power application means for operating said yieldable means under tensionon the power stroke when transferring digit information from saidkeyboard to said display.

5. A business machine as defined in claim 4 wherein said yieldable meansincludes at least one flexible plastic tape.

6. A business machine as defined in claim 5 wherein said keyboardincludes a plurality of plastic key row assemblies overlying a pluralityof corresponding plastic digit tapes, and means including unitary moldedplastic keys are provided to selectively block the forward movement ofone of said plastic tapes in the position defined by the lower end ofthe depressed key.

7. A business machine as defined in claim 5 wherein said flexibleplastic tape has two sets of longitudinal perforations, and wherein atleast one indicator assembly is provided having two sets of interleavedindicator wheels, each provided with corresponding sets of associatedgears, and wherein one set of said gears engages one of said sets ofperforations on said tapes and wherein the other set of gears engagesthe other set of perforations on said tapes.

8. A business machine as defined in claim 7 wherein means are providedfor exposing one set of said indicator wheels to the exclusion of theother and for exposing the other set of said indicator wheels to theexclusion of the first.

9. A business machine as defined in claim 8 wherein said exposing meansincludes a movable mask.

10. A cash register as defined in claim 8 wherein said exposing means isthe outer case of the cash register having a first set of windowsaligned with one of said sets of indicator wheels and a second set ofwindows aligned with the other set of indicator wheels.

11. A business machine as defined in claim 4 wherein said businessmachine is provided with a rear plate immediately behind the powerapplication means, and wherein said mechanical means yields to conformto the limited space between said power application means and said rearplate.

12. A business machine as defined in claim 11 wherein each of said keyrow assemblies includes a locking slide to prevent operation of anadditional key following the operation of one of the keys in each keyrow, and wherein means consisting of a single helical spring is alsoprovided for each key row to bias each of the keys in a key row to theraised position and to bias said locking slide to its normal position.

13. A business machine as defined in claim 4 wherein said displayincludes indicator wheels and associated gears, and wherein a pluralityof perforated plastic tapes are provided, with said gears engaging theperforations in said tapes.

14. A business machine as defined in claim 4 wherein an accumulator isprovided, and wherein means are also provided for selectively moving theaccumulator either down into engagement with said yieldable mechanicalmeans on an ADD" cycle, or to the rear for transferring informationstored in said accumulator to said display on a TOTAL" cycle.

15. A business. machine as defined in claim 14 wherein a single ADD orTOTAL control member is provided with a resilient arm in mechanicalcoupling relationship with said accumulator rnoving means to select ADDor TOTAL cycles of operation, and wherein means are provided to fix theposition of the end of said resilient linkage following initiation of acycle, whereby the resiliency of said arm prevents damage to the machinewhen the ADD or TOTAL control member is actuated while a cycle isunderway.

16. A business machine as defined in claim 4 wherein said yieldablemechanical means includes a plurality of flexible plastic digit tapes,said power application means includes individual gears in engagementwith respectively different tapes, and also includes means forselectively releasing power applied to each of said gears when theassociated digit tape is stopped under the control of said keyboard.

17. A business machine as defined in claim 4 wherein said keyboardincludes a plurality of key rows having a first predetermined spacingand a plurality of keys having a second predetermined spacing, andwherein said display includes a plurality of number wheels spaced apartby a distance equal to said first predetermined spacing, and havingnumbers on said wheel spaced substantially in accordance with saidsecond predetermined spacing.

18. A business machine as defined in claim 4, comprising:

means including keys of said keyboard for selectively stopping saidmechanical means at stop positions corresponding to positions zerothrough nine for each digit to be presented;

means for restoring said mechanical means to the zero position at thebeginning of each cycle of operation of said business machine;

an accumulator; and

means for actuating said accumulator by said mechanical means during thelast portion of the cycle during said power stroke.

19. A business machine comprising:

a digit keyboard including a plurality of rows of digit keys forrespectively different numerical orders;

a plurality of perforated flexible plastic digit selection tapes, onetape being associated with each row of digit keys;

means including a key stop on each tape for engaging a correspondingactuated digit key; and

means for constraining the tapes to engage gears with the gears passingthrough the perforations in the tapes.

20. A business machine as defined in claim 19 wherein resilient meansincluding a portion of said flexible tape is provided to resilientlybias said stops to the key engaging position for movement of said tapesin one direction but to permit bypassing of said keys for movement ofsaid tapes in the opposite direction.

21. A business machine as defined in claim 19 wherein means are providedat the rear of the machine for directing the digit selection tapes awayfrom their path from the keyboard to the gears by an angle of about ormore to reduce the front-to-rear dimensions of the business machine.

1. A business machine comprising: a keyboard; a display for indicatingdigits entered on the keyboard; means including a flexible tape fortransferring digit information from said keyboard to said display; powerapplication means including gears meshing with said flexible tape formoving said tapes to transfer information from said keyboard to saiddisplay; and means for bending said flexible tapes immediately behindsaid gears to avoid extension of said cash register to the rearsignificantly beyond said gEars.
 2. A business machine comprising: akeyboard having a plurality of key rows each including a plurality ofdigit keys; a display for indicating numbers entered on the keyboard;means including individual perforated flexible members associatedrespectively with said key rows for transferring digit information fromsaid keyboard to said display; and power application means includinggear teeth meshing with perforations in said flexible members foroperating said members under tension.
 3. A business machine as definedin claim 2 wherein the base of said machine includes two side plates forsupporting major subcomponents of said machine, wherein a frame of sheetmaterial extending between said plates is provided to constrain andguide said flexible members, and wherein said frame is provided withslots to accommodate stops secured to said flexible members andextending through said frame to engage selected depressed digit keys. 4.A business machine comprising: a keyboard; a display for indicatingdigit information entered on the keyboard; yieldable mechanical meansfor transferring digit information from said keyboard to said display;and power application means for operating said yieldable means undertension on the power stroke when transferring digit information fromsaid keyboard to said display.
 5. A business machine as defined in claim4 wherein said yieldable means includes at least one flexible plastictape.
 6. A business machine as defined in claim 5 wherein said keyboardincludes a plurality of plastic key row assemblies overlying a pluralityof corresponding plastic digit tapes, and means including unitary moldedplastic keys are provided to selectively block the forward movement ofone of said plastic tapes in the position defined by the lower end ofthe depressed key.
 7. A business machine as defined in claim 5 whereinsaid flexible plastic tape has two sets of longitudinal perforations,and wherein at least one indicator assembly is provided having two setsof interleaved indicator wheels, each provided with corresponding setsof associated gears, and wherein one set of said gears engages one ofsaid sets of perforations on said tapes and wherein the other set ofgears engages the other set of perforations on said tapes.
 8. A businessmachine as defined in claim 7 wherein means are provided for exposingone set of said indicator wheels to the exclusion of the other and forexposing the other set of said indicator wheels to the exclusion of thefirst.
 9. A business machine as defined in claim 8 wherein said exposingmeans includes a movable mask.
 10. A cash register as defined in claim 8wherein said exposing means is the outer case of the cash registerhaving a first set of windows aligned with one of said sets of indicatorwheels and a second set of windows aligned with the other set ofindicator wheels.
 11. A business machine as defined in claim 4 whereinsaid business machine is provided with a rear plate immediately behindthe power application means, and wherein said mechanical means yields toconform to the limited space between said power application means andsaid rear plate.
 12. A business machine as defined in claim 11 whereineach of said key row assemblies includes a locking slide to preventoperation of an additional key following the operation of one of thekeys in each key row, and wherein means consisting of a single helicalspring is also provided for each key row to bias each of the keys in akey row to the raised position and to bias said locking slide to itsnormal position.
 13. A business machine as defined in claim 4 whereinsaid display includes indicator wheels and associated gears, and whereina plurality of perforated plastic tapes are provided, with said gearsengaging the perforations in said tapes.
 14. A business machine asdefined in claim 4 wherein an accumulator is provided, and wherein meansare also provided for selectively movIng the accumulator either downinto engagement with said yieldable mechanical means on an ''''ADD''''cycle, or to the rear for transferring information stored in saidaccumulator to said display on a ''''TOTAL'''' cycle.
 15. A businessmachine as defined in claim 14 wherein a single ADD or TOTAL controlmember is provided with a resilient arm in mechanical couplingrelationship with said accumulator moving means to select ADD or TOTALcycles of operation, and wherein means are provided to fix the positionof the end of said resilient linkage following initiation of a cycle,whereby the resiliency of said arm prevents damage to the machine whenthe ADD or TOTAL control member is actuated while a cycle is underway.16. A business machine as defined in claim 4 wherein said yieldablemechanical means includes a plurality of flexible plastic digit tapes,said power application means includes individual gears in engagementwith respectively different tapes, and also includes means forselectively releasing power applied to each of said gears when theassociated digit tape is stopped under the control of said keyboard. 17.A business machine as defined in claim 4 wherein said keyboard includesa plurality of key rows having a first predetermined spacing and aplurality of keys having a second predetermined spacing, and whereinsaid display includes a plurality of number wheels spaced apart by adistance equal to said first predetermined spacing, and having numberson said wheel spaced substantially in accordance with said secondpredetermined spacing.
 18. A business machine as defined in claim 4,comprising: means including keys of said keyboard for selectivelystopping said mechanical means at stop positions corresponding topositions ''''zero'''' through ''''nine'''' for each digit to bepresented; means for restoring said mechanical means to the ''''zero''''position at the beginning of each cycle of operation of said businessmachine; an accumulator; and means for actuating said accumulator bysaid mechanical means during the last portion of the cycle during saidpower stroke.
 19. A business machine comprising: a digit keyboardincluding a plurality of rows of digit keys for respectively differentnumerical orders; a plurality of perforated flexible plastic digitselection tapes, one tape being associated with each row of digit keys;means including a key stop on each tape for engaging a correspondingactuated digit key; and means for constraining the tapes to engage gearswith the gears passing through the perforations in the tapes.
 20. Abusiness machine as defined in claim 19 wherein resilient meansincluding a portion of said flexible tape is provided to resilientlybias said stops to the key engaging position for movement of said tapesin one direction but to permit bypassing of said keys for movement ofsaid tapes in the opposite direction.
 21. A business machine as definedin claim 19 wherein means are provided at the rear of the machine fordirecting the digit selection tapes away from their path from thekeyboard to the gears by an angle of about 90* or more to reduce thefront-to-rear dimensions of the business machine.